"Purple Toupee" is a 1988 song by

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

duo

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...

from their second album, ''

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

''. It was released as a promotional single in 1989. In 1994, a live performance of the song was recorded for the promotional live album, '' Live!! New York City 10/14/94'', which was released by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

. According to

John Linnell John Sidney Linnell ( ; born June 12, 1959) is an American musician, known primarily as one half of the Brooklyn-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Flansburgh, which was formed in 1982. In addition to singing and songwri ...

, the song's disjointed lyrics recount a warped memory of the 1960s. The song comments on a contemporary "sixties revival", which Linnell perceived as a "one-dimensional caricature" of the decade. In a nod to this inauthenticity, the lyrics are intentionally misleading, and do not accurately represent the events that they reference. Two

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

songs—" Purple Rain" and "

Raspberry Beret "Raspberry Beret" is a song written by American musician Prince and is the lead single from Prince & the Revolution's 1985 album ''Around the World in a Day''. Background The sound of the song expanded upon previous Prince arrangements, incorpor ...

"—also served as sources of inspiration for "Purple Toupee".

Promotion

Bar/None Records Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his na ...

advertised "Purple Toupee" by pasting fake labels on

8-track tape The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly called eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, and eight-track) is a magnetic tape sound recording technology that was popular from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when the compact cassette, wh ...

s by other artists. The cartridges, disguised as a release from TMBG, were mailed to radio stations, in addition to CDs that actually contained the song. The song had a music video directed by Helene Silverman, who had previously done graphic design work with the band. The video was filmed at

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

and features

and

John Flansburgh John Conant Flansburgh (born May 6, 1960) is an American musician. He is half of the long-standing Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants with John Linnell, for which he writes, sings, and plays rhythm guitar. Common ...

playing accordion and guitar, respectively, at Astroland Park.

Terminated EP

"Purple Toupee" was intended for release as an EP with three

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

s. It was listed as a release for 12" vinyl, CD, and cassette. The following tracks were presented on the band's B-side compilation, ''

Miscellaneous T ''Miscellaneous T'' is a B-side and remix compilation album released by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants in 1991. It is a US re-release of ''Don't Let's Start'' (which was only released in the UK and West Germany), with different c ...

'': # "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal" # "Lady Is a Tramp" # "Birds Fly" The songs were also included on a 2013 reissue of ''Lincoln'' in Australian markets by Breakaway Records. ;Notes *"Lady Is a Tramp" is a cover of the Rogers & Hart song.

Reception

In his review of ''Lincoln'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

cited "Purple Toupee" as a potential highlight from the album's A-side, though not as strong as the lead single "

Ana Ng "Ana Ng" ( ) is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as the lead single from the band's 1988 album ''Lincoln''. Although the song was their first US chart appearance, hitting #11 on the US Modern Rock chart, the ...

". He describes the song as " antiboomer". The track was also designated as an

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

"pick". Writing for Allmusic, Stewart Mason lauds the song's "infectious tune" and adds that the chorus is "among the duo's most endearing and memorable". Like Christgau, Mason speculates that it carries a baby-boomer theme from the perspective of a confused child of the 1960s. In an Allmusic review of the full album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine also names "Purple Toupee" one of the album's strong "pop hooks".

Personnel

;They Might Be Giants *

- accordion *

- guitar ;Production *Bill Krauss – Producer *Al Houghton – Engineer

References

External links

*'' Purple Toupee'' EP on This Might Be A Wiki *" Purple Toupee" (song) on This Might Be A Wiki
Issue of ''SPIN''
containing an advertisement for the aborted EP {{Authority control 1989 singles They Might Be Giants songs 1988 songs Restless Records singles Songs written by John Linnell Songs written by John Flansburgh